Foster shows me his phone, “Yeah, I downloaded some of their stuff already. I can’t believe they’re not under contract yet.”
We make our way to where Talon told me to meet. There he is, waiting with security to let us in.
“That was awesome,” I yell at him and wrap his naked, sweaty torso in a hug. I step away quickly, hoping to alleviate any awkwardness of the situation.
“You guys were great,” Cole says and holds his hand.
Talon shakes his hand, “Thank you.” He turns and greets Foster the same way. “Do you want to come into the green room? We’re celebrating. It’s kind of crazy in there, with bands coming in and out all day, but it’s a good time.”
We all agree, and he puts his arm around my waist, showing that he isn’t going to hold back because of my other guys. He leads us all back to a tented area with fans, couches, televisions, and a buffet of finger foods.
“Help yourselves to anything you want. There’s a bar over there, too,” he motions to a corner of the room. He walks over, grabs two glasses of champagne, and brings one for me.
“What are we celebrating?” I ask him.
“We got an offer,” he exclaims with a blinding smile. I’m not used to seeing his face light up this bright.
“Like a record contract?”
“Yep. It's from a smaller studio, which is what we wanted. It’ll give us more control over the music.”
I throw myself in his arms, “That’s so great.”
“We leave next week for LA to start recording.”
My stomach drops, “Next week? Already?”
“They want to capitalize on our social media popularity. Today's videos are going to hype us up. We have a lot of songs written and ready to go.”
“How long will it take to record?” I ask.
“It depends. It could be weeks or months. Afterward, we’ll go on a US tour for a few months.”
I plaster on an excited smile, “I’m so happy for you, Talon. I’m glad you get to see your dreams come true.”
I keep smiling, but inside, I’m a mess. Talon is leaving me, and soon, so will Cole and Foster. I’m not ready to be left alone, but I can’t be selfish now and ruin these moments for any of them.
“How are you doing?” Emma asks me.
We lay on our loungers in her backyard, soaking up the sun before the summer weather disappears. This August heatwave has been brutal.
“I’m okay,” I answer her, looking up from my Kindle.
“Liar.”
I set down my device, “Fine, I’m not great. I refuse to be clingy and needy right now. I was dumb to think I could handle this.”
Talon left for California yesterday. He was practically skipping to the airport, and I haven’t heard from him since. It's down to just twelve days until Cole and Foster leave for college. I am unwell.
“You won’t be completely alone, you know? I’m here, and you’re going to the community college. You’ll meet new people. You can be friendly when you want to be.”
Her words make me feel guilty, “I know you’re here. I’m sorry to make you feel like you don’t count.”
“No worries, I get it. You caught feelings for three guys.”
I don’t bother denying it, “It sucks. This was all about enjoying life and all that shit, but this isn’t fun at all. I’ve always loved Cole and always will. It doesn’t matter what the future holds. These feelings for Foster crept up, but how could I resist? He’s just so easy. He has no expectations, and when we’re together, he’s completely present. From the first time I saw him, I knew Talon would be trouble. He’s so intense. Ugh, I’m losing my mind.”
Emma laughs at my dramatics. “You are not. It might be rough, but you will all figure it out. You’ll always have the memories and experiences from this summer to reflect on. No one can take that away from you. In ten years, when you’re married to whoever with a couple of kids running around, you can think back to your wild summer with a rockstar and two hockey players.”
